Firefight Series
by Clockwork Calamities
Summary: One day, a stallion by the name of Quartz was leaving his mundane job at the Hoofington Museum for a festival. However, panic and chaos comes soon, as the comet that everyone has come to watch becomes their worst nightmare.
1. Day of Fire

In times like these, the days where war is no longer between armies, but between one another. It all started on that fateful day when fire rained from the sky and order fell to chaos. The Day of Fire, the start of war.

Hoofington Memorial - 19:32 Hours

My name is Quartz Brine. I'm eighteen years old, and I graduated from school just last year. I entered into training for guard duty at the place, but instead got a nice job as a security guard. I just wish that I would've stayed out of law enforcement altogether.

It was my first day on the job, working at the Hoofington Memorial Museum. I was a new security guard on duty and my job was simple; keep intruders out of the Museum. The day was turning out to be boring as I suspected when the Museum's intercom buzzed and crackled to life.

"Attention all staff of the Hoofington Memorial Museum, we have an important announcement for all of you. It has been noted that tonight, a comet will fly directly over Hoofington, and will not return for another 1000 years. All staff are allowed to leave early to see this once in a lifetime event come to life." blared the intercom.

I smiled, not being able to remember my last shortened day from work. I had my standard issue pistol holstered in case of a robbery, and I was required to keep maintainence on it to a regular basis, and thus, I must keep it with me at all times. I put my pack of extra supplies inside my locker, keeping my extra clips with me, and headed out the door to see the comet.

Hoofington Town Square - 21:00 Hours

I stepped into the town square, looking up at the night sky, hoping to see the comet, but unable to see anything of the sort. I sat down, looking at the stars while I waited for the comet to show itself.

I had a packed lunch with me from earlier that I never got around to eating, so I brought it with me to the square. Nothing is as good as a sandwhich and an apple, especially on cold nights like this. But, I noticed that one thing was off; it wasn't that cold. The weather had called for cold winds, but there was almost no chill in the air at all.

I looked up and saw the comet, my misgivings being dismissed so I could watch the spectacular cosmic phenomenon, something that I would never see again in this life. It took me a moment to realize it, but the comet seemed a bit bigger than it was supposed to be.

Then I felt it; the burning heat. It was so hot that I ran to get inside, and it took a moment to click in my mind, by there was a burning hole in the ground in front of me. I turned and looked to the sky, fire falling down from above, hitting the ground with enough force to leave craters in the ground.

I heard ponies scream in agony and fear, ducking behind anything even seemingly safe, dying upon being hit with the monstrous heat of the flames raining from the sky. As I looked to the sky I saw a glint coming down; a huge amount of fire heading this way. I blinked as it closed the distance between us. It all faded to black.

***  
>"Look to the skies my children, and see the flames of life and death. Remember these shining beacons of existence, and remember those you lost to them. Never forget their lives, and never let them fade." - Father Garnalus, 5th Artillery Chairman<p>

Hoofington Crater - 01:34 Hours

I woke slowly, a deep searing pain in my side as I tried to get up, the ground burnt beyond recognition. I couldn't recognise any visible landmarks at first, but then I saw it; the Museum was still standing. I limped my way over, my right hind hoof damaged by whatever hit me.

My pistol was still holstered to my coat, but it was stuck in its holder. I was unarmed and couldn't see through some of the smoke. The feeling of death was all too noticable in the air, but I couldn't see anything dead or alive.

I made it to the Museum's door and was surprised to find it locked. I hadn't thought anyone else was inside when I left to see the comet come down, and I was the only security guard with keys to lock it from the outside. So, either I locked it without my keys, which were inside, or someone is inside and has locked me out.

I heard movement from inside, exhibits being smashed, desks being flipped, things like that. The sounds enraged me, but without my keys, I couldn't get into the Museum either way.

I walked away from the Museum's doors, hearing a low, growling noise from somewhere near by. I looked around, trying to pull my pistol from it's holster, but I was unsuccessful, even after pulling with all my strength. I looked around and grabbed a nearby pipe, raising it with my magic. I looked around and moved on.

Hoofington Square Remains - 02:00 Hours

I heard the growl a few more times before it finally stopped, whatever was making the noise seemed agitated at best. I had made it to the town square when a dog attacked me! It seemed strange though. It appeared to be a brown dog with some white fur too. It appeared to be a healthy dog at first glance, but it was glowing lightly.

The dog jumped at me, aiming for my throat. I quickly brought the pipe to bare, blocking the dog seemlessly. I took a swing at the dog with the pipe and struck it head on, cracking it's fragile skull in. It whimpered as the life drained from its eyes, collapsing onto the ground. I took off it's collar, reading the tag.

"Hmm? Wasn't this Applejack's dog, Winona? How the hay did she get here, and what's up with her? She was so cute while I was in Ponyville...rest in peace Winona. Good girl." I said, bowing my head to pray.

Hoofington Radio Tower - 06:15 Hours

The stallion stumbled over to the radio broadcast booth, a deep wound in his side being covered by a mere bandage, the sounds of scraping and scratching proceeding from down the hall behind him as he opened the door to the booth and stepped inside, shutting and locking it, though still unsure of his safety.

He sighed a breath of exhaustion and grabbed the microphone on the table of the booth, turning on the broadcast switch and enabling all frequencies to hear him. With a shuddering breath he spoke into the microphone.

"To everypony that can hear this broadcast, please send help immediately. My name is Neon Lights, and I am trapped at the Hoofington Radio Tower. I'm not sure if anypony can hear me, but if you can, run. Hoofington is no longer a safe place for pony kind. I have seen the things that are attacking us, and they are not peaceful. I saw my manager torn in half tonight, and my only solace is that I can warn all of you. Please, hurry and escape this mad town before we all die. Vinyl, if you can hear this, I'm sorry. There's not much time for me, but I need you to know that I love y-"

As he struggled to breath out the last word, he collapsed onto the floor of the broadcast booth, hidden behind the desk from any prying eyes. With his message sent, he slipped in a very-painful sleep.

End of Chapter One


	2. Radio Broadcast

"When the monsters rose up out of their hiding places inside our hearts, it was all over. The only difference we could make was delaying the end result. It was the best day I could have imagined for all of ponykind." - Bold Root, Author of "Doom's Upbringing"

Somewhere Over Canterlot - 18: 00 Hours

None of us knew what we were getting into when we boarded the assault carriage. We thought it was just more terroristic changeling attacks gone horribly wrong. Boy, I wish that was what was happening at the time.

We were a small team of Tactical Commandos, sent into Canterlot to find out the situation and cease it's completion. We were known as the Ironside Corps., due to our patented bulletproof armor that most of us wore, and the fact that our commander in-chief was known as "Ironsides" because of her relentless and almost horrifying ability to withstand pain.

Canterlot had been the place where the two princesses had lived, and was by far one of the biggest and busiest places in Equestria. It was a hot-spot for several different celebrations, including the Summer Sun Celebration, and was where some of Equestria's most socially-elite stayed. Whatever was happening was big if we were called in.

My name is Crimson Featherlight. I've been in the service of the Equestrian guard Special Operations Tactical Unit (SOTU) for two years. In that amount of time I've seen more than my fair share of death. I was put into action at the age of twenty-two years old, as I had shown an aptitude for tense situations, and my scores in all of my training courses had been just a little above average except for my marksmanship, which had been my best score in any of the categories. My first mission with the team was a terrorist activity call in Zebrica, and then after that I was stationed in Germaneigh for six months, tracking a contact of the Changeling Rebellion. I had seen foals and fillies that were tortured by changelings and even some stallions and mares that were beyond help. I had, for the first time in my entire life, felt anger and fear that almost completely consumed me. I had been captured by enemy forces and tortured with anything they could use to get me to talk; electroshock, burning, whipping, beating, water-boarding, and even starvation. During that time, my only thoughts were of those poor souls that had seen more pain and cruelty from my captors than anypony should ever have to endure. Now, less than five months later, I was put back in action with one order: find out what was wrong in Canterlot, and put a swift stop to it. If only things would be as easy as we all thought when we left the mission briefing that afternoon. But, as all of us were about to find out, this would be one of the worst missions we could have had the misfortune of being sent out on.

Loading Bay of The Dragon Tooth - 18:30 Hours

I walked into, what those of us in the SOTU called, "the pile", a small armory inside of the Special Operations vehicle, which housed all of our available weaponry, munitions, and armor that we were allowed to bring with us on our missions. It was a hangout of sorts, a place for us to joke around before a critical mission. Most of us did so wholeheartedly, as we all knew that it could be the last time we get to crack off a joke in this life.

Looking to my right, I immediately spotted the purple, straight mane of my dear friend, Night Shade. She was in this group only three months before I joined, and had earned a reputation as the only mare to ever make it into the SOTU at the age of seventeen. She looked dainty at a safe distance, but almost nobody in the entirety of the Special Operations squads would willingly get into a sparing match with her, or make any comment about her looks. She had gained the title "Wallflower" from her first assignment, where she snuck into a changeling hive, rescued our informant, and had then went to the lengths of blowing the place sky-high, all by herself, and undetected. As I looked, she was priming her favorite side-arm, a Glock that was loaded with 9mm pistol rounds, and had a reflex sight equipped for good measure. On her sides rested two combat knives, each one having probably been sharpened to a diamond edge.

"Hey there Shade,", I said, smiling as she turned her attention to me and then gave me her drop-dead amazing smile. "how's your gear lookin'?"

"Fine. I'm just doing some much needed checks on my special equipment. Care to take a look?" asked the purple maned mare, an immediate smile coming to my face. This mare really needed to learn how to phrase things, and soon.

"Naw, I don't know how you prefer your equipment, and I still gotta load up before we go in. You know what they say at the end of each briefing," I started, getting ready to say the famous words of the commander.

"being ill-equipped makes you that much easier of a target to hit." said everyone in the room at once, eliciting a loud laugh from everyone present. I heard the deep, throaty chuckle of another one of my teammates come from my right.

I turned to my right and was met with the scruffy face of the heavy weapons expert of the team, Golden Trim, a very strong and muscular stallion who had come from Shratuul, a small province in the middle of Equigypt. He originally came to Equestria in search of his family, but enlisted into the guard after finding out that his family had been the victims of a changeling attack and had not survived. He's been in the service for over twelve and a half years, and probably has the most experience out of everyone on board. His favorite weapon, which he named "Miracle" in honor of his little sister, was a big, six-barreled, mounted machinegun that was attached to his sides, was polished and loaded with both armor piercing and hollow point rounds, that were meant to shred through anything that was in his way. He also carried a full belt of grenades strapped to his chest, and a pack of remote-detonated explosives that were inside of a small bag on his haunches. He smiled at me as he spoke.

"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend Crimson! You seem a little under-prepared for the mission, yeah?" he asked, joking about how I had so-far completely neglected gearing up for the mission.

I smiled back and replied to him, in a slow and almost insulting mimic of his voice, "Well, a big gun or a small gun doesn't matter, especially when all you gotta do is aim and fire."

He let out another throaty chuckle, the booming sound of his voice in the room making the place shake lightly.

"Oh, you're lucky that I'm your friend, or I woulda put you on the floor for that one!" he said, and for a second I thought he was serious. I had been trained for hoof-to-hoof combat, but I was not about to get into a fight with a stallion that was easily three times my size, and two times my muscle.

I smiled and walked over to the equipment rack, grabbing a small MP9 handgun from it's slot on the wall and looking it over. The MP9 was a standard issue handgun for anyone in the security business, and a personal favorite of mine, due to it's fifteen bullet magazine size, and the fact that it could be unloaded and reloaded with ease. I grabbed a standard issue equipment vest and slipped it on, clipping it to me and sliding the handgun into it's holster on my right side. Then, reaching up again, I grabbed a combat knife that slipped into it's sheathe very nicely and clipped that to my vest as well, and grabbing two spare magazines for my handgun. With that I was ready, and I grabbed a small pouch that contained medical supplies for injuries in the field. I was always carrying at least one pouch of them, no matter what the mission. As I turned back around, a light blinked on, and the speakers blared.

"Attention everypony! This is your captain speaking! We hope you enjoyed your time, but this flight is over. Please prepare to disembark." said the stallion over the microphone. We all knew what that meant; it was time to jump.

Canterlot Gardens - 18:45 Hours

I landed softly on the ground, smiling as I looked around the Canterlot Gardens, breathing in the air. However, the second I breathed in, I almost wretched. The air was not scented with the delightful smell of the flowers planted here. The air carried the faint coppery taste of blood on it. I had known this smell well, and had almost become used to it, but not in Canterlot. Something was definitely not right if the smell of blood was overpowering the normally strong-scented flowers.

I drew my handgun from it's holster, turning the safety off. There was something wrong here, no doubt about it. I wasn't the only one who noticed either, as Night Shade and Golden Trim both crouched low and followed behind me. I edged around a corner and recoiled at what I saw. There, in plain view, lay four ponies, barely identifiable because of the shape of them.

Each of them had been torn open, their entrails laying on the ground, and what appeared to be bite marks were all over their bodies. One of them had had his skull cracked open by his attackers, and his blood and grey matter pooled into a mush on the ground nearby. The most disturbing thing of all though was that they all wore the symbol of royal guard elites. Whoever or whatever had done this had taken out for elite guard members, torn them apart, and then left them in the open. It was cruel, sadistic, and animalistic. The others stepped around the corner and shocked gasps were heard as they also must have been spooked by the horror before them. This was no ordinary murder; this was a slaughter.

SOTU Command - 18:00 Hours

The radio turned on, a shaky voice coming from the other end, as all the heads in the room turned toward the small device.

"To everypony that can hear this broadcast, please send help immediately. My name is Neon Lights, and I am trapped at the Hoofington Radio Tower. I'm not sure if anypony can hear me, but if you can, run. Hoofington is no longer a safe place for pony kind. I have seen the things that are attacking us, and they are not peaceful. I saw my manager torn in half tonight, and my only solace is that I can warn all of you. Please, hurry and escape this mad town before we all die. Vinyl, if you can hear this, I'm sorry. There's not much time for me, but I need you to know that I love y-", which ended abruptly with a thud on the other end, and then the signal went dead.

"Wait, Hoofington?" asked several ponies in the conference room at once, all looking around and talking about the radio message.

One stallion stood up and spoke louder than the others in the room, his voice bellowing in comparison with the others.

"What are we gonna do about _this_? Clearly, Hoofington is in danger! We need to send some help ASAP!" yelled the stallion, his voice filled with anger.

The mare at the other end of the conference table smiled, her charcoal colored mane flittering down past her shoulders, her eyes a bright emerald hue.

"Somepony is already there. Whatever the issue is in Hoofington, I truly feel sorry for it's instigator. Because,"

Hoofington Residential Area - 18:15 Hours

A grey pony with cold eyes trotted down the street, a knife at her side and a gun holstered to her vest. The mare continued to walk down the street, the dead corpses of the monstrousities that had attacked her laying on the ground in puddles of their own blood.

"Captain "Ironsides" Hooves is currently in Hoofington gentlecolts." said the mare with the charcoal mane. Everypony at the conference table fell silent. Whatever was happening in Hoofington, and whatever had caused it, was about to know true terror.

*** "There was nothing that could have prepared us for the dark times ahead, but in those darkest hours of our time, there were those that would fall and hide, and then there were the few who would stand before the path that fate had decided for us. Those who did not fall, but rather, they rose to a whole new light. These were the ones who would carve a path out of the granite-thick darkness, and would fight so that we may see the light once again." - Thorn Blackroot, Author of "In Darkness and Light" 

SODU Command - 13:00 Hours  
>5 Hours Before Darkness<p>

"So, I've filed the papers through, and you're cleared on your request to go to Hoofington tonight. We have issued you a personal ride there, and you have one week before returning to active duty." said the charcoal-maned mare, sipping coffee out of a cup in front of her.

"Thank you Commander Nightingale. I wish to see the comet this year, as I may never get a chance like this again." said the grey mare in front of her, saddle bags filled with vacation apparel, and her gear.

"There is no need to thank me Ironsides. You've more than earned this leave from work, and I see no better occasion for a trip. They say that the comet is one of the most beautiful things you can see in this life." said Commander Nightingale, her charcoal colored mane pulled back into a ponytail.

"I wholeheartedly agree. I just wish you would take me up on my offer to accompany me. You're always stressed from working so hard, and it makes me wonder if you shouldn't try to come with still." said Ironsides, her eyes fixating themselves on the mare sitting across the desk.

"I would if I could. Old friends like me and you don't often get chances to just relax and talk, especially in our particular jobs, but if I took a day off of work, Celestia knows what would happen around here. They'd probably put some no-brains stallion in charge of this post, and I'd rather eat my own hoof than watch some plothole tell my troops what to do." said Commander Nightingale, sighing lightly with a slightly amused smirk on her face.

"Yes, though really, next time I petition for a temporary leave, I insist that you come with. The short times when I get to talk to you are nothing compared to our long hours of discussion before we enlisted." said Ironsides, smiling in spite of herself.

"I agree. Either way, be sure to relax and enjoy yourself while you're away. It pains me to see you go on leave now, but everypony has their limits, and I don't wish to see any soldier, much less a dear friend of mine go through that." said Commander Nightingale, a slight look of sadness in her eyes.

"Okay Commander. But, if you change your mind, put in a form for both of us to have an extended leave, alright?" said Ironsides, brushing her light blond mane out of her eyes.

"Yes, I will be sure to. Say hello to your daughter for me, won't you? I heard her studies are going well, but please, bring back some news of how things are going for everyone." Commander Nightingale said, giggling lightly.

"I'll do that," said Ironsides, getting up and heading to the door before stopping abruptly, "oh, and Metronome," she started, "don't overwork yourself. Everypony has limits, and like you, I don't wish to see a soldier or a friend go through that." she stated before walking out the door.

Hoofington Residential Area - 18:15 Hours

Captain Ironsides pulled her combat knife out of the skull of another of her attackers, the sound of steel scraping against bone being slightly audible the whole time. She had left on a leave from work, only to wind up dealing with more fighting than before. The creature laying still at her hooves was no longer a pony, just a sick, demented, and disfigured being that showed little-to-no signs of ever being sentient. It made her stomach knot slightly as she thought about how mindlessly it had charged for her. It was almost, and she paused for a minute to think of the word, _animalistic_.

Captain "Ironsides" Hooves had enlisted while she was in her late thirties. She had shown a strange aptitude toward marksmanship, close-quarters-combat, and reflexes. She had no issues with killing an enemy combatant, even if they begged. She had no problems with staring death in the face. She had multiple times in fact. On her side she had a revolver with the name "Loveless" on it in gold lettering, and her primary weapon was her combat knife. She had a daughter who was enrolled in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns eight years prior to her enlisting, but she in now seventeen, while Ironsides herself is pushing forty-seven. She has seen more combat than most stallions in the SOTU, and has the medals, and title to prove it.

Ironsides held her knife close as she proceeded down the street, watching corners and back alleys for any signs of movement. She felt slightly reminiscent of her past mission to Zebrica five years prior to this, in how the enemies would attack her from the shadows to try and get the jump on her, but were bested once they got within close range. Not many changelings could put up a decent fight without magic, and she normally had them down within twenty seconds tops.

The streets had a slightly heavy fog, and every once in a while she could hear the sounds of screams being cut short. Every time she heard one she saddened slightly, feeling unable to do anything except stay on course with her objective, the Hoofington Radio Tower. She had brought her radio with her on her trip, hoping to use it for music, but instead picked up a signal from the Broadcast Tower calling for help. She saw that as her primary objective, and it would give her someplace to go and hopefully find out some useful information.

She rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a stallion that was holding a blood-covered lead pipe. He recoiled at the sight of her and stepped back, readying the pipe for attack. She smirked at him.

"I'd lower that pipe if I were you. I don't know what you've seen, but if I was gonna kill you, you'd be dead by now." said Ironsides, staring down the strange stallion. He was wearing a security uniform with the insignia of the Hoofington Museum on it, and he had a handgun, though it seemed that the holster had been busted in and kept it from being drawn. She sighed at this and thought of a certain charcoal-maned pegasus who had the same problem once or twice.

The stallion lowered the pipe, but remained cautious, looking her over. He noticed the revolver and combat knife and then finally decided that she was right and lowered his weapon.

"Sorry. Those _things_ are all over the place, and when I saw you I wasn't sure if they'd gotten to you or not. My name is Quartz. Yours?" asked Quartz, seeming to be a bit on edge over the whole thing, though who could really blame him? Ironsides sighed again before smiling at him.

"I'm Captain Derpy "Ironsides" Hooves of the Equestria Special Operations Tactical Unit. I'm here on leave from work, but with the state this place is in, I guess work followed me." she responded, listening for any sounds around them. She may be having a conversation, but these enemies wouldn't wait to hear anything. If she slipped up, they'd kill her.

"Wait, you're with the Special Ops?" asked Quartz, seeming confused. "No offense, but aren't you a little under-prepared for this job?"

"As I said, I was supposed to be here on leave from active duty. I'm only as prepared as I am because I take my job seriously, and prefer to have my gear working." replied Ironsides, nodding toward the broken holster and the handgun in it.

"Yeah. I got knocked out, and I guess I must have landed on the thing. Wouldn't do me much good anyway. I've never been a good shot." explained Quartz, his ears going down as he admitted his screw up.

"It's fine. I'm on my way to the Radio Tower right now. Somepony named Neon Lights is there, sent out a distress call over the airwaves. I figured I'd head there and find out what's going on so I can better understand the situation. What about you?" asked Ironsides, wondering about the stallion's plan.

"I'm gonna head to my house and grab some supplies. A first aid kit, and then I'll fix this holster with my tools." said Quartz, smiling.

"Good plan. You should head to the Radio Tower when you're done though. These things don't seem to have any morals, and will attack at any time, given the chance. Head there and we can meet up and plan something more thorough, okay?" asked Ironsides, concerned about the stallion's safety. He reminded her quite a bit of Commander Nightingale, and she wanted to save as many lives as possible.

"Alright Derpy. I'll meet up with you once I'm ready, and then we can put our heads together and figure this out. I'll gather up anypony else I meet on the way too. Never hurts to have a few more ponies around, especially when things go to shit." said Quartz, before he hurried off into the foggy streets again.

Ironsides watched him run before turning and proceeding down the street toward the old Hoofington Radio Tower, the big building coming into view slowly. Whatever was going on here, she would figure it out, even if it killed her.

Trottingham Airport - 18:00 Hours

"Are you sure about this Miss? I mean, Hoofington has been marked as a red flag zone. Going there could be dangerous." said the attendee at the desk.

"I'm positive. A dear friend of mine is in Hoofington, and I need to find him at any cost." said a mare with white fur and a blue mane.

"Well, then, I've prepared you a flight there in a small plane, with a driver who volunteered for this job specifically. Might I have your name Miss?" asked the attendee, looking at the mare expectantly.

"Scratch. Vinyl Scratch." responded the mare, a glint of fire in her eyes.

*** ***

Author's Note: The firefight series (yes, I mean this will not be the only one) is a story I wrote depicting the downfall of Equestria, and highlighting some of my own characters, as well as fan favorite characters. Now, I wrote this so that I could post it online, and I plan in advance for some things, but please, if you have any questions, suggestions, or anything else, please review this story. But please, don't review just to complain about my representations of the characters, or about any couples that I put together. The story has a dark feel to it, because the world is falling apart, and the characters would act differently. Also, I am truly sorry if your favorite character dies, but I will be killing off characters at least once every five to six chapters, and posts might take some time, as I personally spell check and write all of these, and have no stable internet connection at any given time. So, please enjoy the story as I continue to write, and tell me what you think.

Nightingale: You know, reviews aren't bad every once in awhile.  
>Ironsides: Yeah, and it helps the story progress faster.<br>Nightingale: I really do need a break from work...  
>Ironsides: Well, please review everyone, so that me and Metronome here can finally have a vacation! <p>


End file.
